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by mollswinchester



Series: Brothers Reunited [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Dean and Feelings, Domestic Fluff, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/M, Human Castiel, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Lawyer Sam Winchester, M/M, Past Character Death, Writer Castiel, supernatural films
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-14 08:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11204097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollswinchester/pseuds/mollswinchester
Summary: It's been years since the Winchester brothers were last face-to-face but now, thanks to the death of their deadbeat dad, they're reuniting. Sam has things he wants to say to Dean and Dean has things he needs to tell Sam, but both of them are afraid of rocking the already rough waters they're treading on.Back in Lawrence, with the familiarity of their old friends and family, Sam and Dean will try their hardest to mend their emotions  with their dead father, and with each other.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovely nerds ;) Okay, so this is the first time I'm trying this whole "chapters" thing out, wish me luck!!! Anyways, I'm working on a prequel to this, let me know if you'd like to read it--even though it won't be done for a while. As always, thanks for reading, later nerds!

Sam’s been a lot of places. 

He went to New York one summer for an internship at a law firm. He went to Haiti on a mission trip. He’s been to Mexico, Canada, and even went backpacking through Europe the summer before he started Stanford Law. 

But now, staring out the window of the hotel in the town where he grew up, he’s never felt more like he doesn’t belong. 

Sarah snakes her hands around Sam’s midsection and hugs him from behind. She rests her chin on his shoulder and they stand there for a moment in silence. “You ready to go?” She asks eventually. 

Sam reluctantly turns to face her. She’s dressed in a t-shirt and jeans but looks nothing less than classy. Sarah always looks classy. Her hair is tied up and out of her face, which Sam loves because it makes her whole face visible to him.

“I guess,” he answers shakily. Sarah grabs his hand and leads him out of the hotel. The humid air engulfs the pair as soon as they step outside, and Sam is reminded that they should be in Palm City, Florida right now, visiting Sarah’s parents at their house on the beach. But John’s dead, and regardless of Sam’s feelings on the man, he’s not going to miss his own father’s funeral. 

Sam opens Sarah’s door and then walks around the car to the driver’s side. The drive to the restaurant is quiet aside from Sam’s shaking leg knocking against the car door. 

He hasn’t seen Dean in roughly 6 years, give or take a day. Not since he left for college. Honestly, Sam has no idea what Dean’s been doing with his life lately. Sure, they’re Facebook friends, but Dean rarely posts anything. Even when he does post, it’s generally something vague that Sam can't even begin to understand, because that's how well he knows his brother these days. . 

Even when they were figuring out some of the funeral things, it was all just over email. Dean claimed to have gotten Sam’s email address from a friend of his named Charlie, and Sam doesn’t question how this Charlie got it 

“Are you okay?”

Sam looks to Sarah, face softening. “I’m fine. I’m nervous, but I’m fine. I mean, there’ll be a lawyer there, and you’ll be there, so really it’s not even like we’re going to have time to talk.”

“Sam,” Sarah begins pointedly, “Why don’t you and him grab lunch tomorrow?”

“No”.

“Come on… You two need to talk. Sam, you want him to be your best man. You should probably ask him about that sooner rather than later.”

“Well, yeah but--”

“Now would be the perfect time to bring it up.”

“It’s just gotta be weird, right? I mean, asking my brother, who I haven’t spoken to in years, to be my best man?”

“Maybe, but it’s your wedding. You have to ask.”

“It’s only May. I’ve got time until September to ask him about it”. Sam states.

“If you don’t do it now, you won’t ever. Plus, he’ll need to know ahead of time for things like suit fittings and schedules and his duties as--”

“How about this; I invite him to lunch, but you have to come. And then sometime this week, if all goes well, I’ll ask him about it.”

“Deal.” Sarah smiles and kisses Sam’s hand which is laced around her own. “Hey, do you know if he’s bringing anyone?”

“I didn’t ask, but if he’s anything like the Dean I knew before Stanford, then no.”

After a short time in the car, Sam pulls into the parking lot of a chain restaurant he’s been to a few times before. For a brief moment, he thinks--hopes--maybe Dean hasn’t shown up, but one glance through the parking lot reveals the massive Impala Dean’s devoted his life to. He sits for a moment, not wanting to get out of the car.

Sarah gently grabs his chin and turns his face gently so he’s facing her. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” She presses a soft kiss to his cheek. Sam closes his eyes and smiles before getting out of the car and moving to open Sarah’s door. 

Sam sees Dean first. His brother’s back is to the door, so Sam sees the face of the lawyer who is facing him. They’re sitting at a table, talking about something regarding the gas prices as Sam and Sarah approach.

“Ah, Sam. Hello again,” Zach Warren says, standing up from the table. Sam, however, doesn’t pay any attention to him. Instead, his focus is on his brother’s stiffening shoulders. It’s then that Dean turns his head and Sam sees his face for the first time in years.

There’s virtually nothing different about Dean. His hair is the same, he’s got the same kind of clothing as always: flannel, biker boots, too many layers for the summer heat. He even has the amulet around his neck still. But he looks a little different, too. For one, his worry lines have faded.

“Sam.” Dean says, getting up from his chair. The younger brother cringes, not liking the way the one-syllable version of his name sounds as it comes out of Dean’s mouth.

He regrets every time he ever tried to convince Dean not to call him “Sammy”.

“Hi, Dean.” Sam struggles, but he manages to get the words out. The brothers shake hands and stare at each other awkwardly before Sam realizes that there are other people around. “Dean, this is Sarah. My fiancée.”

Sarah and Dean behave kindly to each other, having no reason not to. “It’s nice to meet you, Sarah.” Dean says in a way so mature that Sam has a hard time believing he’s not dreaming. Sarah is the type of girl Dean would normally flirt restlessly with, so why isn’t he?

“Shall we sit?” Zach asks finally. The four of them all sit down around the table, and Zach gets down to business right away.

“John Winchester left no will, therefor you two, as his next of kin, are to decide how the funeral process will be handled.”

Neither Sam nor Dean know what John wanted, so they agree on a traditional burial next to the empty casket buried for Mary in the Lawrence Cemetery. 

“Great, now just a few technical things regarding the service.” Zach states, and they continue making decisions about John. The process is tiring and annoying but Sam manages to make it through the conversation without any incident. 

Afterward, Sam, Dean and Sarah stand out in the parking lot together, the sun beating down on their shoulders.Sarah elbows Sam in the ribs, and he has to use all of his willpower not to yelp.

“Dean,” he begins, taking Sarah's violent hint, “Would you want to have lunch with Sarah and me tomorrow? No funeral talk, just catching up?”

Dean is just about to answer when his phone starts ringing and he holds up a finger, turning around to answer it. The conversation isn’t totally understandable since all Sam can hear is one side, but he tries to listen in anyways..

“Hey, Cas… No, it’s fine… I will text you the address… It went well… Yes, I behaved myself, thank you… okay, see you in a bit… uh-huh… me too, bye.”

Dean turns back around. “Uh, that was my friend, well, roommate… And friend…” He says, coughing to cover up his rambling. “He’s going to be here tomorrow so I don’t know if I’d be able to get lunch…”

“Bring him along!” Sarah suggests excitedly.

Dean scratches his neck nervously, a habit he apparently still hasn’t broken. “Uh, yeah, I can do that. Here, I’ll give you my number and you can text me when and where. I have to get back to the motel, Cas is getting there soon.” Dean reaches out and Sam hands him his phone. 

When they say goodbye, it’s still awkward and Sam can feel that they need to resolve the tension between the two of them. He turns on his phone and scrolls through his contacts looking for Dean. He can’t find it at first, but then his eye catches on the word “jerk”. Sam smiles at that, chuckling quietly. 

Xxx

Dean waits outside for Cas, stomping out the cigarette he just finished. He’s stressed, otherwise there wouldn’t be a cigarette to stomp out. Not only has his father just died from a heart attack (of all the things), but he has to deal with Sam, and he’s not entirely sure how happy Sam is about seeing him again. 

Cas pulls up in a rental pickup truck that makes Dean cringe as he’s being bitten by the hundredth mosquito of the night. 

Dean doesn’t say anything, just pulls Cas into a tight hug as soon as he’s in arm’s reach. Cas hugs back immediately, tightly holding on to his boyfriend. 

“Dean, are you alright?” Cas asks when they pull apart. 

Dean exhales with a dramatic sigh. Cas stands with his hands gripping Dean’s shoulders, the pair underneath a buzzing light outside the motel room. It’s dark since it’s nearly ten-thirty at night, but Dean’s not tired. He’s about to tell Cas he’s fine, to lie about it, but he remembers that it’s Cas. He can’t lie to Cas. 

He shakes his head and pulls Cas close again. Cas plants a kiss on Dean’s cheek. “Let’s get inside,” he whispers.

“You smell like cigarettes,” Cas states once they’re in the musky one-bed-bedroom.

“I know,” Dean replies, hanging his head. 

“Dean, how can I help you?”

“Just… come here.” Dean says, pulling Cas up from where he was sitting on the bed. Their lips collide almost immediately. Dean groans against Cas’s lips, feeling comfortable for the first time tonight. Cas gently nibbles on Dean’s lips, not wasting time to run his hands down his boyfriend’s back to grip his ass. Dean pulls Cas down onto the bed.

They spend the rest of the night lazily making out. Aside from a few hickeys here and there, they don’t do anything more than kiss and grope each other. Cas probably assumes that Dean is too worn out to go any further, and for that, Dean’s thankful.

“How was the meeting with Sam?” Cas asks once they’ve settled into sleeping positions. Dean’s wearing just a pair of boxers and Cas is dressed in a pair of sweatpants that hang loosely on his hips. They both lay on their backs, Cas leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder.

“It was okay. Awkward. He’s engaged to a real pretty lady.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, I just wish I could tell him how proud of him I am. But the last time we saw each other, he was so mad… And I’ve never even asked him to forgive me.”

“Just give it time… I’m sure everything will work out.” Cas says, burying his face in Dean’s shoulder. 

“I hope so.”

“Do you just want to go to sleep?” 

“Yeah… Yeah, sleep would be good.” Dean shifts to his side, curling around Cas who is facing away from him. “Um, they want to have lunch tomorrow. You and me, Sam and Sarah.”

“Well, I guess I can probably work my busy schedule around this business. It might take some persuading, though…”

“The persuasion will come in the morning, I’m tired now.” Dean chuckles, tilting his head to kiss Cas’s temple.

“Do you plan on telling him? About you—us?”

Dean sighs, not really sure what the answer is. “I don’t know. I mean, I want him to know… but I don’t know how he’s going to take it. In New York, I was never really in the closet in the first place. I mean--”

“I know, you slept with Aaron your first night in town and didn’t consider the fact that Becky, the girl who keeps no secrets, was his roommate”

“How was I supposed to know she’d blog about it? Anyways, I just… Sam was raised differently than they were. You know, we were taught that this is wrong and if he’s anything like I was when I figured out I’m not straight… I guess I just don’t want to ruin--not that there’s anything les to ruin--”

“So maybe, if you want, you can get to know him on this trip. I’m sure you aren’t the only one who has changed. And if you feel comfortable and safe you can tell him, and if not, we’ll go back to New York to friends that make you feel comfortable and safe no matter what.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’ll just wait and see.”

The room is silent for a few moments. The only visible light is coming from the lamp post outside, shining through the dingy curtain.

“Have you gotten the call yet? About the show?

“Nope. It might never come.”

“You know it’s going to come.” 

It’s quiet again.

“Goodnight, Cas.” Dean says but Cas is already asleep in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr: http://molls-winchester.tumblr.com/


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers have lunch together and learn a little bit about each other's lives.

“I wonder how Dean is doing with dad’s death.” Sam states randomly on the way to meet Dean at the restaurant. 

“What do you mean?” Sarah asks.

“Well, it’s just… I’m dealing with it, you know? I mean, I’m upset, but I’m handling it. I’m talking to you, I’m open about my feelings for the most part, but Dean has never been that way. He’s always been so guarded and felt the need to defend dad.” Sam pauses and shakes his head. “Their relationship was more like a drill-sergeant/soldier king of thing…”

“Sam--”

“And he always got the worst of dad’s rage… when dad would come home, drunk and angry, it was almost always Dean with the black eye the next morning.”

“Maybe you should ask him about it, make sure he’s okay?” Sarah suggests.

“You don’t know Dean.” Sam replies with a wry laugh.

They pull into the parking lot at one o’clock, right when the brothers agreed to meet. The Impala isn’t there yet, and it’s not something to be easily missed, so Dean most likely hasn’t arrived either. Sam and Sarah get a booth in a dimly lit corner of the restaurant. 

A young woman approaches moments after they sit down. “Can I get you started with some drinks?”

“We’ll just start with water, we’re waiting for people.” The perky waitress nods with a smile and leaves

“Sam, you’ve gotta calm down. Dean is your brother, okay? And I know I don’t know him, but from what you’ve told me, he loves you. So let’s just see this through--see how things pan out.” Sarah holds on tightly to Sam’s arm which comforts him more than she can know.

Each time the door to the run-down restaurant opens, Sam gets more nervous. Eventually, Dean comes through the door. He’s wearing a red button up over a black t-shirt. His pants are old and torn but they fit him and that’s something that really makes Sam a little nostalgic. He’s not used to seeing his big brother in clothes that fit him. Dean always made sure his little brother had what he needed, even if that meant getting crappy donated clothes for himself that were almost always too small or too big. He’s still wearing the amulet.

There’s a man next to him, roughly Dean’s height with a strong build and tan skin. The other man, Sam forgets the name Dean told him yesterday, has dark, messy hair and bright eyes. 

Reaching up with his right hand, Sam waves to get Dean’s attention.

When the pair reach the table, Dean grins awkwardly. “Uh, hey Sam… Sarah” Dean says. He lets the other man slide into the booth first and then follows. “Um, this is Castiel.” 

“I prefer Cas”. Cas has a firm handshake and a kind smile when he greets Sam. It’s enough to make a positive first impression for himself. 

“Nice to meet you, Cas. I’m Sam, and this is Sarah, my fiancee.” Cas greets Sarah politely in response.

“So how’s things?” Dean asks before he lifts up the menu and takes a look at it. He sets it down not long after, seeming to have already chosen what he wants.

“Things are good.”

“Good to know, Sammy, but we haven’t exactly seen much of each other lately. Inquire any new fetishes? Pets? Still a nerd?” Sam doesn’t miss the way Dean says his name. He smiles softly and rolls his eyes all the same, liking how easily Dean seems to slip back into his teasing nature..

Cas gives Dean a look but Dean just shrugs his shoulders.

“Um, Sarah and I have a dog. And I just finished my first year at Stanford Law.”

“He finished by acing all of his exams and a nearly perfect GPA .” Sarah says, sending Sam a similar look as to the one Cas just gave Dean. 

“Oh, I believe it. Freakin genius, in’t he,” Dean laughs. “Well, congrats Sammy. What about you, Sarah? What do you do?”

“I’m studying art.” She says simply as she takes a sip from the straw in her water glass.

“Like, famous art, or your own art…?” Dean asks. Sam looks at Sarah, whose eyes widen. She’s not used to people wanting to know more about her major--usually, people think it’s a far-fetched dream. 

“Well I’m planning on teaching art, probably to high schoolers, so a little bit of both. I know a lot about famous art, though, because my dad’s an art dealer.”

“Neat. It’s important to get the arts in High School, ain’t it. I wish I’d had more of them when I was in school.” Dean smiles and Sam looks at his brother confused. He never knew Dean was into any kind of art. Dean and Cas share a knowing look, and Sam doesn’t comment about how that used to be a look he alone shared with his brother.

“So did you both fly in?” Sarah asks.

“Cas did. I drove. Left as soon as I could so I wouldn’t have to fly on the plane.”

“Dean is terrified of flying.” Sam informs Sarah with a smirk.

“Yeah, well at least I’m afraid of something that’s actually dangerous. Clowns, Sammy? They don’t do anything but make kids happy.” Sam’s face reddens and he glares at his brother. 

“You ready to order now?” the same waitress from earlier asks, surprising Sam as he had not seen her approach.

“I think so.” Sarah then begins her order and then Sam orders a Chef’s Salad for himself, earning a snort from Dean.

When the waitress gets around to Dean, she’s unashamedly flirting with him, that much is obvious. But what isn’t obvious is why Dean isn’t flirting back. If anything, he seems to not even notice that the girl is behaving differently toward him than the others. 

“I’ll be back ASAP,” she says with a wink in Dean’s direction, but he’s already turned away.

Both Cas and Sarah seemed to have noticed, given the looks on their faces that must mimic Sam’s.

“What?” Dean asks, confused. 

“Did you not catch that?” Sam asks. Dean’s blank look is enough of an answer. “Our entire lives and I’ve never seen you turn away from any breathing woman who was flirting.” In a single instant, Sam sees a blush grow on his brother’s face and disappear. 

“I--uh, I didn’t notice.” Dean scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Sam is dumbfounded.

“So Dean, what do you do?” Sarah questions. For a moment, Sam wishes she hadn’t, thinking that maybe Dean is still running credit card scams and doing small odd jobs when the former doesn’t bring in enough money.

But Dean’s blush is back and he looks almost bashful now. “I make short-films. Kind of horror-type things… It’s kind of weird.”

“It’s not weird” Cas immediately comes to Dean’s defense. “They’re really popular, especially in our area up in New York. He’s won multiple high-end contests with them”. Cas looks more annoyed than anything that he had to say that, and Sam gets the feeling that Dean still has a habit of being horribly self-deprecating.

“That’s so cool! I had no idea you were into film.” Sarah says, and honestly, neither did Sam. But it really does make sense. Growing up, Dean loved watching movies but it was more than that. He liked to learn about the actors, the directors, the sets and their purposes. He always was fascinated with the subject. “What are they like?”

“Well, they’re about these two brothers who kind of fight monsters… I know it sounds cheesy when it’s put like that but it’s a lot creepier and… well, emotional than they seem… or so I’m told.”

The waitress comes back then with a tray full of their foods. She hands them out and then leans on the table so that her chest is in full view. “Need anything else?”

“We’re fine, thanks,” Cas sort of growls. Sam turns his head abruptly, surprised to see Cas’s cheeks look a little flushed. Maybe Dean gets hit on a lot--that would get annoying after a while. Whatever his reason, Cas gets her to go away. Dean chuckles and nudges Cas’s shoulder with his own. 

“So is there a way for us to see your movies?” Sarah asks, mouth full of food. Dean looks to Sam and smirks, no doubt thinking about the times Sam yelled at Dean for doing the same.--talking with his mouth full. 

“You can buy them online… but I wouldn’t want you to waste your money--”

“Oh, I’m sure we wouldn’t be wasting our money. What do you do, Cas?” Sarah swiftly deflects Dean’s negativity. 

“I’m a writer--a novelist.”

“Really? What do you write about?”

“Science Fiction… It’s--uh--slightly strange.”

“Cas writes about angels and demons.” Dean announces with a proud grin. “He’s practically famous but you wouldn’t know because he writes under a pseudonym.” Sam notes that his brother and Cas seem keen on bragging about each other’s success. 

“That’s awesome!” Sarah grins, taking another bite of her food. “Sam is a sci-fi nerd”.

“So is Dean, though he refuses to admit as such.” Cas deadpans. He takes a sip from his drink and then continues. “He often forces me to have Star Wars marathons, regardless of having seen them multiple times”.

Sam and Dean exchange exasperated glances. “Wow, we’re being attacked here”. Dean laughs.

They spend the rest of the time at lunch catching up. They don’t bring up any subjects regarding their past or their father, they just talk about the now. They chat about their friends and their jobs and what the city they live in is like. 

When they part ways, Sam is more confident about his and Dean’s relationship. He feels like, if anything, they might stay in touch after the funeral which happens in two days. 

Xxx

“Well that went well”. Cas says once they’re seated inside the Impala together. “Don’t you think?”

Dean sighs. “Yeah, it did. I just wish… I wish I could tell him about us--you and me”.

“I do too. But I understand. Your dad didn’t react well. You have every right to be anxious about this.”

Dean glances over to his boyfriend, sitting in the passenger seat. “Thanks, Cas. I know it can’t be easy for you to pretend--it’s not easy for me to pretend, and I pretended for most of my life.”

“Dean, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”

He’s nervous about so much right now: the funeral, Sam, Sam and Jess, Crowley’s impending phone call, coming out to Sam… everything. “So we’ve got the rest of today and all of tomorrow to ourselves. What should we do?” Dean’s driving, his eyes are on the road, but he doesn’t miss Cas’s smirk. “Alright, so back to the motel?”

“Yes please.”

Xxx

“That went well”.

“It did. I wonder if he’s leaving as soon as the funeral is over. How long are we staying?” Sam asks. 

“Three days after, so until Tuesday. We should be able to see them again if they stay.”

“Dean seems less guarded than the other day.” They’re sitting on the small couch in the hotel room drinking coffee. It’s not good coffee, but it could be worse, so they don’t complain.

“And Cas is nice.”

“He is. I’m glad Dean has a friend like him. Especially now--I'd hate for Dean to deal with Dad's death alone.”

The chat quietly for a few minutes, the TV low in volume, playing something from some local television station. It’s only about 3:00 in the afternoon and there’s really nothing to do. The funeral doesn’t need any more planning, they’ve already eaten, and there isn’t much happening around town.

“Hey, why don’t we see if we can find some of Dean’s movies,” Sarah suggests, already grabbing the remote and clicking around. The TV in the hotel is somewhat high-tech, it being able to connect to the internet and whatnot, so Sarah searches Dean Winchester. “I cannot believe you’ve never googled him!” Sarah exclaims. 

She clicks on one of the first websites that shows up. It shows a chart with a bunch of titles and ratings next to them, all of them relatively good. The first title reads “The Woman in White” and Sarah clicks on it. 

There’s a brief description and a few reviews but Sarah doesn’t stop to read them. Instead, she pays for the thing and clicks play. 

They watch the first episode. It’s only about 15 minutes long but it’s enough to understand exactly how Dean feels about how he and Sam were raised.

The storyline is about two brothers with a militaristic upbringing who were dragged into a life of “hunting” that they didn’t want to be a part of. The younger brother is more rebellious while the older one blindly obeys the father. 

The younger leaves to attend school while the older stays with their dad and continues hunting.  
“Wow…”

“Is that supposed to be--”

“Our lives.” Sam whispers. Only instead of bad guys, his dad hunts the supernatural and the names are different. 

“So despite the… well, the angst, what did you think?”

“I thought it was pretty damn good. I never knew Dean could do something like this.” Because honestly, the first episode was fantastic. The dialogue was good, the camera work, the plot as a whole. It was interesting and easy to follow and something Sam would probably watch even if he didn’t know Dean’s the one who created it. 

“You wanna watch the rest?”

They spend the rest of the day watching the episodes in order. The last one ends with the older brother selling his soul for his younger brother and Sam wants desperately to talk to Dean and ask if he’s planning to make any more and if so, what happens next because what a shitty thing to do, leaving the audience hanging like that. 

He also wants to talk to Dean about the brothers’ relationship as portrayed in the show. He wants to know all about why Dean made the characters do what they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr: http://molls-winchester.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so short compared to the others.

“Have you gotten the call yet?” Cas asks when they wake the next morning. Dean has barely opened his eyes yet but Cas is eager to chat, apparently.

“I just woke up, and we haven’t spent any time apart since the last time you asked me, what do you think?”

“I’m just anxious, Dean. I wish Crowley would just call you already.”

“Would you stop talking like that? Like it’s going to happen? It might not,” he mumbles. 

“It will, though.”

Dean just laughs and pulls his boyfriend up and out of bed. “You know you’ll have to come with me, if I get the deal.” They walk to the window and look out at a busy street. Dean wraps his arms around Cas’s bare stomach, holding him from behind. 

“I’m aware.”

“That means leaving all of our friends, the New York pizza, the cat--”

“The cat is coming with us.” Cas states like it’s not a question. And it really isn’t--Dean wouldn’t make Cas leave Balthazar, his fluffy orange cat, no matter what.

“I know.” Dean says. He kisses Cas’s neck and then turns them around so that they’re facing each other. “What do you want to do today?”

“I don’t know. Just hang out.”

“Let’s shower, and then I’ll show you around Lawrence.”

“Sounds good to me.” Cas says with a wink. He then pulls Dean into the bathroom and toward the grimy shower. 

It takes them longer to shower than it should, but when they’re done, they get out and get dressed quickly. It’s warm outside so they dress accordingly: Dean in only one layer of flannel and Cas ditches the trench coat. Dean opens the passenger door to the Impala for Cas and then walks to the other side to get in himself. 

“So you wanna go get some coffee? I told Jo we’d stop by and visit her at work.”

“Of course I want coffee.”

...

 

  
“Dean!” is what he hears first when he enters the coffee shop. At first, he doesn’t know whose voice the words belong to, but his eyes fall upon Jo.

She runs up to him and hugs him tightly, like she’s never going to let go. She’s wearing a brown apron, one that all of the workers here are wearing, and her hair is tied up. It hasn’t been too long since Dean’s seen her, a few months maybe, but he’s glad to know she didn’t pierce up her face or dye her hair ridiculous colors when she came back in spite of her mom. 

“Hey, Jo.” He says, returning the hug. 

“Nice to see you again, Cas.” Jo says, calmer than before. She hasn’t known Cas as long as she’s known Dean. “I was wondering if I’d be seeing you before the funeral, you know. Mom said not to get my hopes up, that you’re probably not in the best place right now, but I knew that you couldn’t pass up a chance to see me.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m just here for some coffee.” He jokes, but it’s in good nature.

She slaps him in the chest, pretending to be mad. “I’d better get behind the counter or I’ll get in trouble, but it’s been nice seeing you both.” She says with a smile.

Cas and Dean order their drinks and then take a seat at a table by the window.

“It’s a nice town.” Cas says, wiping a smudge of coffee away from his lip.

“It is. I think it would have been nice to grow up here.” 

Cas looks at him sadly. If John hadn’t moved them all over America due to his paranoia and obsession with finding whoever set the fire that killed Mary, they’d have stayed in Lawrence. And Dean would have grown up in a regular school doing regular teenage things. Cas is about to say something when Dean’s phone rings. It’s sitting on the table, facing up, and the screen is flashing “Mr. Crowley” 

Dean looks at Cas with wide eyes. “Answer it!” Cas all but yells. 

“Okay, okay.” Dean says nervously. He picks up the phone and slides his finger across the screen to answer it. “Hello?” He gets up and walks outside, not wanting the chatter from the other customers to be too loud and block out what Crowley says.

“Squirrel, great to hear your voice.” The obnoxious man on the other line says.

“Yeah, yeah, you too Crowley. Get to the point.”

“Always so pushy. You’d think you’d have a better attitude toward the man that secured your show a contract for television.” Dean can practically hear Crowley rolling his eyes.

“It went through? So my show is—“

“It is going to become a televised series, yes. The contract is for one season, and the ratings on this season determine if you’ll have more. You’ll have script writers, but as the director and creator of the show you have full creative control. So you can use the basis of your films for the plot but you’ll have people who are going to write out the full episodes.”

“When do we start?” 

“You'll need to get to Los Angeles as soon as possible, you'll start hiring your team and making a script.” 

“Crowley, I could kiss you right now.”

“Keep your lips for that angel of yours. I’ve got meetings to set up, plans to make, so enjoy your little vacation squirrel.” The other line goes dead before Dean can remind Crowley that he’s not on vacation, he’s here for his father’s funeral, but he doesn’t care. 

He bursts in through the door to the coffee shop with a grin.

Cas sees him, notices his smile, and matches it with one of his own.“I’m so proud of you!” Cas whispers, pulling Dean in for a kiss as soon as they’re close enough.

It’s perfect and Dean doesn’t even care that people might see him because nobody’s opinion of him could change how happy he feels right now, so Dean goes back to focusing on his boyfriend’s lips.

Xxx

They get ready in silence. Take separate showers, get dressed apart. Dean watches the road somberly as he drives to the cemetery. They’re not having the service in a church since John was basically the opposite of a believer. 

It’s bright and sunny outside, the weather contrasting Dean’s emotions perfectly.

John’s being lowered into the ground and Pastor Jim is asking everyone to pray with him when Dean decides he can’t take it anymore. He walks away and leans against a tree that’s far enough away so that he can’t hear what’s being said. 

How John was a great man, proud soldier, strong-willed. 

Dean tries not to think how nobody mentions the boys missing school for days at a time because they’d be so beat up. Or how John would go on “trips” doing God knows what for months, leaving his sons--kids--wherever he could: a motel room, a rented apartment, Bobby’s house.

Nobody is talking about how Dean wakes up from nightmares, still, terrified that John is going to come after him. He doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. 

“Dean?” He raises his head where salty tears are now running and sees Cas. And seeing him, seeing Cas, such pure goodness that his father wouldn’t approve of, wrecks Dean. He slides his back down the tree, not bothering to care about how the bark is probably tearing up his dress shirt, and puts his head in his knees and sobs like a child. 

“Oh, Dean.” Cas crouches down in front of him and lifts his head. “Dean, babe, you need to get up.”

“I don’t know what to do, Cas. I just… I didn’t expect to cry. I thought I was fine, that I wasn’t going to care, but I care so much”.

“You should care, Dean. He might not have been a good man, but you grew up with him. You have to feel something.”

Dean grabs hold of Cas’s shirt and buries his face in his chest. “I don’t want to”.

Cas grabs Dean’s chin and lifts his head up. “I know. I know you don’t. I know this is hard.” Their eyes meet and it takes all he has for Dean not to look away in shame. Cas smiles softly and runs his thumbs under eyes to wipe the tears. “Come on,” Cas says, and he leads Dean back to where everyone is gathered. The burial is over but people are standing around visiting each other and looking at other headstones. 

Sam and Sarah are talking to Jo. Dean and Cas join them and Dean sees that his brother’s eyes are red, showing that he’s been crying too. Sam looks like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t. If he did, Dean would probably just brush it off and make a joke. Instead, they make small talk and smile fake smiles. 

Eventually, the Dean and Ellen break apart into a conversation of their own. It’s been a long time since they’ve last talked. Dean is nervous at the aspect of leaving Cas on his own but his boyfriend is talking to Bobby and his wife Karen, whom Cas has met on several occasions. Sam, Sarah, and Jo are still talking and the few other people who showed up are chatting with Pastor Jim.

“Dean, I never got to thank you for putting up with Joanna Beth up in New York.” Ellen says. 

“No thanks needed, Ellen. She was lost and needed a place to stay, I’m glad I’m the one who could give it to her.”

“You’re a good soul, kid. You ought to know that.” Dean blushes and rubs the back of his neck. “Your daddy didn’t know that, but we do. And that boy of yours knows it too.” 

“Thanks, Ellen,” Dean replies sincerely.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tis the end, my friends.

“So we watched your short films,” Sam says when they’re at dinner. It’s fancy this time, because it’s the last dinner they’re having together this trip. They’re at some big restaurant with white table cloths and polished silver ware. 

“Yeah?”

“They were really cool,” Sarah says.

“Well, uh, thanks,” Dean takes a nonchalant sip from his water glass. He looks at Cas, who is kind of glaring at him. He’s been pestering Dean about telling them about the whole TV contract thing but Dean doesn’t want to make a big deal about it. 

“They are really good, aren’t they. One might even say they’re good enough for television.” Cas says. Sarah and Sam look confused.

Dean looks to Cas and rolls his eyes. “My films… Um, they’re being turned into a TV show.”

“What?”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be a thing. Don’t know what it’s going to be called, yet. It’s not a big--”

“If you say ‘deal’ I will smite you.” Cas states.

“You’ll smite me?”

“Yes.” Dean can’t help but laugh. 

“That’s awesome, Dean!” Sam grins. “I’m happy for you.”

“It is pretty cool, isn’t it,” he runs his hand down his face and smiles, “thanks Sammy.”

“Where does it film?” Sam asks.

“L.A..”

“Wait, so does that mean--”

“We’ll be moving to L.A..”

“That’s like, a little under 6 hours away from us!” Sarah grins, even though 6 hours isn’t anything to get so excited about.

Xxx

“So, it’s good to see you happy, Dean.” Sam says, joining Dean outside of the restaurant. He left a few moments ago, said he needed some air. Cas offered to join but Dean declined with a smile. 

“It’s good to be happy, Sammy.” Dean lifts his head from the brick wall he was leaning against and smiles softly and Sam thinks it’s a good look on him.

“So you’re moving out to Cali.”

“Yup.”

“I never thought you were the L.A. kind of guy.”

“I didn’t either. But a lot has changed since the last time we were together, man.”

“I can see that,” Sam says, a sort of distant smile growing on his face. “And Cas? Why is he going with you? I mean, I’m assuming that’s what you meant when you said ‘we are moving’.” Dean looks down and even through the dark, Sam can tell he’s nervous about something. “What? I mean, you guys are obviously close, but I figured Cas’s life is in New York…”

“Cas’s life is with me.” He says simply, as if that’s enough to make Sam understand. 

“What do you--”

“I mean, Cas and I… we need each other. We’re dating. We’ve been dating for about two years and I don’t know how you feel about that but if it’s a problem for some reason, take it out on me. Not him.” Sam just stares past his brother, waiting as the pieces in his head fit together. He’s taken back to the day he met Cas and the flirty waitress. And how clueless Dean seemed about her.

“You and Cas?”

“Me and Cas.” The cool night air gives Sam a sense of Serenity and he looks out at the setting sun. 

“And he makes you happy?”

“He does.”

“Then how could I ever have a problem with you guys, Dean. I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“And Sarah?”

“Dean, Sarah has two dads. I highly doubt she’ll care either.”

“So I can be as open with Cas as I want now?”

“As long as you keep it PG,” Sam grimaces.

“Aw, Sammy, you ruin all the fun.” Dean laughs and heads back inside.

Sam follows and sees Dean approach Cas and Sarah who look to be chatting casually. Dean doesn’t hesitate. He sits down next to Cas and kisses him on the lips. Both Sarah and Cas look surprised. 

Sam makes his way to the table and sits down, a smile on his face.

“So, since I don’t know when we’ll be getting your new address to send a proper invitation, I should probably formally invite the two of you to the wedding.” Sam begins nervously. “It’s in September. We’re getting married on a beach not too far from LA, actually. It’s a small beach town where Sarah’s dads got married.”

“You can count us in, Sammy.” Dean says. “Congratulations--both of you, I’m happy for you.” Sam grins and looks to Sarah who is also smiling widely. 

“That’s… that’s not all, actually. So my friends Kevin, Garth, and Andy are going to be the groomsmen but I didn’t want to… You can say no, obviously, but would you be my best man, Dean?”

Dean looks at him like he’s grown two heads. “Jesus, Sammy, if you’re this awkward asking me to be your best man, I can’t imagine how you were when you proposed.” Dean rolls his eyes but smiles. “Of course, I’ll be your best man. No need for you to be nervous about it, man.”

Sam leans back in his seat and releases his nervous muscles. He sighs with a smile. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure, since we didn’t part on the best of terms.”

“That was then. I’m glad you asked. Oh, Sarah, am I going to be dancing with a pretty friend of yours? A sister, maybe?” Dean asks with a wink. 

Cas rolls his eyes and simply flicks Dean in the temple, like it’s no bother. 

“I was kidding!” Dean says defensively, holding his hands up in defense. 

“You’re a swine, Dean Winchester.” Cas states, but they’re both grinning from ear to ear. Sam is beginning to pick up on how much they really act like an old married couple.

“Yeah, but you love me.” 

“You’re right, I do.” Dean slings his arm around Cas’s shoulders.

Sam can’t help but feel ridiculously happy as he looks from the woman he loves, to the brother he loves, to the man his brother loves.


End file.
